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Disadvantages of signature based web malware monitoring

When it comes to your website, nothing is more important than security. Monitoring and protecting your website against malware attacks is all that stands between a functional, working website that meets your needs and a domain name that’s dark, broken or worse: embarrassing for your brand or you.

The good news is that when it comes to malware, monitoring is relatively easy if you purchase a good product. The bad news is that some of the most popular types of web malware monitoring products come with distinct disadvantages.

Today, we’re going to take a quick look at the disadvantages of signature-based web malware monitoring products.

What is signature-based malware monitoring?

Signature-based malware monitoring products search within website code for malware. Specifically, it looks for strings of programmer code that is known to be used by human hackers or worms as part of previous malware attacks. If used properly, signature-based malware monitoring programs can be effective at keeping malicious malware from infiltrating your website.

What are the downsides?

There are two main disadvantages to signature-based malware monitoring.

The products are designed to only look for, detect and protect your website against known attacks. This means two things: First, a new signature has to be developed for every attack. Second, new attacks (which malicious hackers and worms are working on every day) cannot be detected. The bottom line is that signature-based malware monitoring can protect your site against known enemies, but it cannot protect your site against new, unknown enemies.

Signature engines report many false positives. Because signature-based malware monitoring products are designed only to search for common and known strings of code, the programs often report false positive. Not only is this annoying, but it can also keep important information (and people) from reaching your site.

Put simply, these programs just can’t scale to accommodate the sheer number of new malicious malware attacks they need to protect your website from.

It is true that nothing is more important than the security of your website. That’s why, when it comes to choosing a malware monitoring company that is best designed and best prepared to protect your site against malicious malware, it is probably a good decision to make sure they use a modern and dynamical approach on malware detection, like StopTheHackers AI-engine, next to signature-based malware monitoring.